Mi Vida!!!

Cold winds touch my cheeks as I opened my apartment window.. i can see the twinkling lights right across the street.. i can hear a familiar, jolly tune from afar..

CHRISTMAS.. christmas is in the air.

I could still remember one christmas when i would sneak from from to see santa clause putting some goodies in the socks i hanged in the staircase… i was always too slow to catch him drop by the house… tsk tsk tsk…

One day, i just figured it out! i am thankful that my famile has let me experience the excitement of waking up at 12midnight of the 25th of December to see my “santa’s” christmas presents under the tree… the joys of being a child.

21 years has passed and now i start to wonder: What’s Christmas like on the other side of the world? on the other side of this building’s fences?

In the west, snow could look beautiful and i wish i could feel its fluffiness… or perhaps to see real icicles and make my own snowman.. or run around in winter boots and experience thanksgiving with a whole turkey on the dining table.. with wine and some holiday dishes.. BUT, what’s christmas like out there?  Sure, it’s warm in front of the fireplace.. or with the heater turned on.. but isn’t it too cold from the inside? sure you have the money.. earning a lot.. perhaps sending a lot of money for loved ones at home.. but what’s christmas like in a foreign land with all the material things but with all your loved ones away? wouldn’t it be empty?

But what’s christmas like on the other side of the fence? … in a make-shift box of junk that keeps you dry during the rainy nights and provides shade during a sunny day. Yes, you are with your loved ones, but you see them torn apart by poverty… by hunger… wouldn’t you wish you were somewhere in cold countries sacrificing for the people who matters to you?

What’s christmas like when you are in an ambulance and on the way to the hospital to rush your loved on who is struggling to live? You can see fireworks and hear joyous laughter from a roadside party, but you can also see the pain and weakness from your mother’s eyes.. struggling and fighting to stay in this world.

For me, Christmas is beyond the tangible things we give or we receive on Dec 25.. it is way beyond the place where you are now.. Christmas is all about appreciating the gift of life.. the gift to savor it with your loved ones, near or far. Everyday is Christmas when you wake up in the morning and see that your loved ones are ok.. it’s in knowing that you woke up to live another day despite hardships or pain.. another chance to improve life.. or to savor our borrowed existence. Christmas is not just Dec. 25 — it is EVERYDAY.

Dec 24, 1999 @ 11:30PM. Mom was rushed to the hospital struggling for her life due to food poisoning from some irresponsible fastfood chain somewhere in the metro. As I was riding the ambulance with my mom at the backseat and a guy with a gunshot wound sitting right beside me and who was also struggling to live, I had one single thought: That mommy will hang on.. will fight for her life… for we need her… and because I know i still have a lot of things to do to make up for my ”not so good” deeds .

and what’s christmas like that year for me?

it was the BEST!

why? because God gave me / us the best gift.. the gift of second life for my mom. And, not only that… HE opened my eyes for the intangible joys.. the joy of appreciating life, despite its the situation.. this i have seen through the eyes of sick people who werere trying to make the best out of the worst situation.It is so heartwarming to see strangers who, despite their seemingly empoverished life, has managed to visit sick people and gave them joy on Christmas day.

Isn’t it ironic that the “deprived” ones in the society are the ones with a lot more to give? ..and the rich people wants to take some more?

So, what’s Christmas like for you?

As for me, EVERYDAY is christmas. I may not have the best of everything.. i may be away from most (but not all ) people that i love because I have my hubby here with me , BUT, I am happy to wake up in the morning knowing that the people I love (near or far), are all ok, that I am given another day to live — a new chance to make life better.

It’s Christmas time! ..and the best thing that I could share are my thoughts. my reflections..  my experience.. and this comes with the hope that this thought will spark up someone’s day.. or perhaps lighten up someone’s load. Brother, you are not alone. we all have our crosses… it’s how we face it that matters. so cheer up! Get up and make a difference. celebrate christmas everyday.

Now, can you tell me how often you want to celebrate christmas in your life? .. and how you plan to spend this year’s “christmas”?

God bless all of us and may we all have more Christmases to come and celebrate! Be inspired and be contagious. Be an inspiration to others and light up people’s faces by giving them intangible joys and happiness.

The best things in life cannot be seen nor touched.. It can be felt in the heart.

Note: comments are welcome